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Course Descriptions for Master of Health Physics


PHYS 561 Radiation Biophysics
Energy loss by ionizing radiation. Target theory. Direct and indirect action. Radiation effects in biomolecules. Radiation inactivation of enzymes, nucleic acids and viruses. Biological effects ultraviolet radiation. Photosensitization. Radiation protection and sensitization. Radiation effects in vivo , radiation therapy, phototherapy. Prerequisite BIOL 403 or equivalent. (3 - 0 - 3)
Course Objectives
  • Recognize the nature and properties of ionizing radiation
  • Recognize the fundamentals of radiation chemistry
  • Recognize the special role of DNA as the primary target of ionizing radiation in biological systems
  • Recognize the basic theories and models of cell survival and tissue response to radiation
  • Recognize differences between stochastic and nonstochastic effects
  • Recognize how biological systems respond to high-LET radiation

PHYS 568 Business Principles
The course will cover a wide range of business principles highlighting project management and the components of business that employees may encounter. The goal of the course is to help the student understand basic business principles and project management skills, help the student understand the application of organizational behavior in today's workplace and equip the student to function more effectively both independently and as a team in today's organizations. (2 - 0 - 2)
PHYS 571 Radiation Physics I
Fundamentals of Health Physics will be presented with an emphasis on problem-solving and computer modeling. Topics covered begin with the physics of radiation production: review of atomic and nuclear structure and quantum mechanics; nuclear structure and radioactivity; production of x-rays. The second part of the course focuses on the interaction of radiation with matter including: energy-loss mechanisms, secondary processes, stopping power and range. (3 - 0 - 3)
Course Objectives
  • "Old" Quantum Mechanics: Blackbody radiation, photoelectric and Compton Effects, Atomic spectra, Rutherford's nuclear model, Bohr's atom and drawbacks of Bohr's theory.
  • Elements of "New" Quantum Mechanics: The de Broglie waves, uncertainty principle, wave-particle duality, Schrödinger equation.
  • Elements of Atomic Physics: Hydrogen atom, radiative transitions, exclusion principle, periodic table, molecular bonds.
  • Nuclear Physics: Composition of nucleus, nuclear mass and binding energy, nuclear force, semi-empirical mass formula, nuclear stability and instability of heavy nucleus, radioactive decays, rate of radioactive decays, half life, radioactive series transformations, and radioactive equilibrium.
  • Interaction of radiation with matter -- heavy charged particles: Coulomb force interactions of heavy charged particles, energy loss spectra, stopping power and mass stopping power, semiclassical description and Bethe-Bloch formula for stopping power, range and slowing down time.
  • Interaction of radiation with matter -- electrons: Energy loss by ionization, energy loss by radiation, range of electrons and bremsstrahlug yield, linear energy transfer.

PHYS 572 Radiation Physics II
Continuation of the basic Health Physics sequence, including: neutron production and interaction with matter; methods of radiation detection; radiation dosimetry; chemical and biological effects of radiation; radiation protection standards; shielding; dosimetric models; accelerator, reactor and medical health physics. Prerequisite PHYS 571 (3 - 0 - 3)
Course Objectives
  • Interactions of radiation with matter -- photons: Photoelectric interactions, Compton Scattering and effects of binding energy, Coherent scattering interactions, pair and triplet productions, attenuation and mass attenuation coefficients, energy transfer and energy absorption.
  • Methods of radiation detection: Ionization chambers, proportional counters, Geiger-Mueller counters, band theory of solids and solid state detectors.
  • Dosimetry: Quantities describing radiation beam, kerma and absorbed dose, charged particle equilibrium, Bragg-Gray and Spencer-Attix cavity theory, AAPM protocols for dose measurements.
  • Interaction of single beam of x-rays with scattering medium: Phantoms and dose calibration, tissue-air ratios, backscattering factor, tissue-phantom ratios, patient dose calculations, isodose curves, calculation of dose at any point, depth dose distribution for high energy electrons and heavy particles, solving problems.
  • External radiation protection: Shielding of Alpha, Beta particles and photon sources, dose equivalent and structural shielding design.
  • Neutrons and nuclear fission: Neutron sources and interaction with matter, thermal neutrons and diffusion of neutrons, nuclear fission and chain reaction, nuclear reactors and nuclear explosion, fission products.
  • Counting statistics: Radioactive disintegration as a Bernoulli process, statistical distributions, counting radioactive samples, critical levels of detection.

PHYS 573 Standards Statutes and Regulations
This course studies the requirements of agencies that regulate radiation hazards, their basis in law, and the underlying US and international standards. An array of overlapping requirements will be examined. The effect regulatory agencies have upon the future of organizations and the consequences of non-compliance are explored. Prerequisite: PHYS 572, concurrent enrollment in PHYS 572, or consent of instructor. (3 - 0 - 3)
Course Objectives
  • Understand the regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and other agencies. Understand 18 U.S.C. 1001 and its implications for the practice of health physics.
  • Understand the differences between laws and regulations. Understand how laws are passed and how regulations are promulgated under the Administrative Procedures Act.
  • Understand what enforcement sanctions are available to Federal agencies for violations of regulations. Understand the difference between criminal and civil sanctions.
  • Understand the philosophy behind the legislative and regulatory processes. Understand the purposes and strategies of the regulations.
  • Learn about the various entities that promulgate consensus standards, their respective philosophies, and the effects of their recommendations on the practice of health physics.
  • Discuss controversial topics in health physics, such as the linear non-threshold hypothesis.

PHYS 575 Case Studies in Health Physics
Issues in operational health physics and regulatory affairs. Students will present problems and solutions drawn from their experience and the literature. Operational problems may include organizational issues, computer applications, measurements and dosimetry. Methods for compliance with EPA, NRC and OSHA and enforcement actions will emphasize technical and management techniques. Prerequisite: PHYS 572, concurrent enrollment in PHYS 572, or consent of instructor. (2 - 0 - 2)
Course Objectives
  • Learn about incidents that have occurred in facilities that use radiation and radioactive materials.
  • Analyze the causes of the accidents with a view to preventing future occurrences.
  • Analyze the effects of regulations and regulatory bodies, or the absence thereof, on the occurrence and course of accidents. Understand the actions of regulatory bodies in the wake of specific accidents.
  • Understand human factors that contribute to accidents.
  • Improve written and oral presentation skills.

PHYS 576 Internal Dosimetry
Calculation of internal dose from radiation sources. Internal dose is a function of the form of radioactive material, route of intake, biochemistry, metabolic activity and gross and cellular physiology. Prerequisite: PHYS 572 or consent of instructor. (2 - 0 - 2)
Course Objectives
  • Understand human anatomy and physiology as they contributed to the metabolism of radioactive materials.
  • Understand the pathways followed by radioactive material and how they are modeled for dosimetric purposes.
  • Learn various methods for dose calculation including ICRP 30 and MIRD.
  • Study methods for preventing internal exposure with particular reference to respiratory protection and ventilation.

PHYS 577 External Dosimetry
Calculation of external dose from radiation sources. External dose is determined for uniform fields, non-uniform fields, and local deposition. External sources include immersion in a cloud of radioactive gas and skin contamination. Prerequisite: PHYS 572 or consent of instructor. (2 - 0 - 2)
PHYS 578 Therapeutic Medical Physics I
Fundamentals of therapeutic medical physics are presented with emphasis on clinical applications, problem solving and computer modeling. Topics covered begin with description of treatment machines for external beam radiotherapy, including clinical accelerators for x-ray, electron and proton radiotherapy; AAPM TG-21 and TG-51 protocols; Classical radiation therapy. Prerequisite: PHYS 572 or consent of instructor. (2 - 0 - 2)
PHYS 579 Therapeutic Medical Physics II
Advanced topics in radiation therapy physics will be covered. Topics covered begin with three dimensional conformal radiation therapy followed by clinical dose computation algorithms: Convolution-Superposition Methods and direct Monte Carlo methods. Following topic is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMR T), which will cover in details mathematical, physical and biological optimizations of beam intensity, IMRT dose delivery methods, and quality assurance aspects. Last topics to be covered are High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy and Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Required prerequisites: PHYS 578. (2 - 0 -2)
PHYS 770 Instrumentation for Radiation Health Physics
Detecting and measuring radioactive material and radiation levels depends upon many types of detectors and instrumentation. Theory of detectors ranging from chambers operating in pulse and current producing modes to solidstate detectors is applied to measuring and monitoring systems. Electronics ranging from simple rate meters and scalers to high speed multi-channel analyzers is used. Computer linked instrumentation and computer based applications are applied to practical problems. (0 - 6 - 2)
CHEM 513 Statistics for Analytical Chemistry
A survey providing sufficient statistical background for scientists. The topics covered include probability, statistics, sampling estimation, regression analysis, experimental design, data analysis and signal enhancement. (3 - 0 - 3)
INTM 511 Industrial Leadership
Supervision and management practices are key to all components and sectors of industry. People are the key resources and their effective use is critical to a successful operation. As companies move to become high performance organizations, traditional management tools and techniques have to be reviewed and reconsidered. Skills covered include motivation, developing consensus, conflict avoidance and negotiations. Group dynamics along with handling of individual workers is critical. (3 - 0 - 3)
COM 423 Communication in the Workplace
A study of communications relating to scientific, technological, and corporate structures. This course will help students develop workplace communication skills, including the ability to analyze situations, determine appropriate communications forms, write and revise work-related documents, and give oral presentations. (3 - 0 - 3)
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